Federally-funded head start programs help prepare young children from low-income families, ages birth to five
years old, and their parents for the social and educational challenges that young children face as they
develop. Each head start program focuses on providing comprehensive services designed to enhance a child's
emotional, social, cultural, language, reading, mathematics, science, health and nutrition education.
This head start center locator page contains links to listings of programs offered in the 54 counties in the state of South Dakota. Each listings page contains the name, address and contact
information for a specific county's available centers. From that page, use additional links to explore
individual center facts, application instructions and directions.
Our head start center locator features the number of head start centers per county in parentheses ( ) to the
right of the county names. To see a current list of your county's head start centers, click your county's
name.
The Head Start program was created in 1965, and ICAP has provided Head Start services since that time. Each enrolled child and his/her family receive an array of education, health, social and nutrition services. Parental involvement is strongly encouraged, and the program provides opportunities for volunteer activities and involvement through the Policy Council. Services are provided in centers, in the homes of the participating families, and in cooperative programs with several school districts. The overall purpose of the program is to provide services aimed at assisting low-income children and children with special needs to meet their development needs before they start school.
Head Start is a child-focused program designed to increase the school readiness of children ages three to five years old. This program delivers a range of services, responsive and appropriate to each child and family, that encompasses all aspects of a child’s development and learning. The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework was established to guide Head Start programs in curriculum planning and ongoing assessment of children's progress toward readiness. Head Start's comprehensive approach to child development includes eight domains of learning: language development, literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, social-emotional development, approaches to learning, and physical health and development. The Northeast South Dakota Head Start Program has aligned its curriculum and assessment tool with the domains to ensure that children make progress toward expected goals.
Welcome to Oahe Child Development Center. We are a Pre-Birth to Five Early Head Start / Head Start program serving over 200 participants in 6 counties in central South Dakota.
Who is eligible for OLC Head Start / Early Head Start Program?
Pregnant women and children ages 0-5 who family income meets federal income guidelines, or
Children with disabilities, or
Children of families exceeding these guidelines may be eligible based on specific needs
RAI Prenatal to Five is funded by the American Indian Programs Branch of Head Start to provide developmental and educational services to 115 low income, transient Native American children. It provides health care tracking, developmental screenings, and early intervention for children with disabilities. Extensive cooperation is maintained with the Department of Social Services, Rapid City Public Schools, and Sioux San Indian Health Service Hospital. We target those families who have recently moved from a reservation and are on TANF.
Early Childhood Programs
The Sioux Falls School District believes that the early years of a child’s life are critical in their lifelong development. Research documents the importance of quality early childhood education in school achievement and higher graduation rates as well as later in life as higher wage earners and less criminal and social services involvement. The District’s early childhood services include:
Early Childhood Screening and Evaluation Center
Screenings are available at no cost to children birth to age five living in the Sioux Falls School District boundaries. Parents can learn more about their child’s overall development and learning. Screenings for infants and toddler happen in the home or other familiar environments. Day or evening appointments for preschool screenings, ages 3 to 5, are located at 1101 North Western Avenue or at local child care facilities if requested for multiple children. To make an appointment for a screening, please call 605-367-8488.
The Head Start program provides grants to local public and private non-profit and for-profit agencies to provide comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers developthe early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school. In FY 1995, the Early Head Start program was establishedto serve children from birth to three years of age in recognition of the mounting evidence that the earliest years matter a great deal tochildren's growth and development.
The early years of childhood are a very important time in a child’s overall development. It is a time learning patterns and skills are developing, emotional development is taking place, the child’s curiosity is increasing rapidly, and the child is developing into an individual – mentally, physically and emotionally.
Head Start is a comprehensive child development program designed to assist families and children during these developmental years. The program provides for health care services, educational services and special needs services for the child and family.
Head Start (HS) is a comprehensive program that provides educational, nutritional, health, and family services to preschool children ages 3-5 years old and their families. HS is a federally-funded program FREE to incomeeligible families. Eligibility criteria may include family income, age of child and/or a child's special needs. The Head Start program offers center base and home base programs.
The mission of the Head Start Program is to promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of low-income children through the provision of health, educational, nutritional, social and other services that are determined to be necessary based on family needs assessments.